The perception of providing an adjustable height toilet seat is widely developed, and many types of powered toilet seats are illustrated in existing patents, one of which has, despite certain important drawbacks, been marketed to the public.
The most relevant prior art is considered to be:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,806 to Pearce PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,833 to Hunter, PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,678 to Love et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,872, Hedstrom, PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,174, Cool, October 1969 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,831, deJong, July 1971 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,820, Cain et al., Nov. 1971 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,576, Epstein, June 1977 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,552, Austin, September 1979 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,335, Alvis, January 1980 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,422, Shoemaker,
Further aspects of such devices are found in United States patents:
Certain of the significant drawbacks encountered in the prior art comprise:
the use of electrical power in the dangerous environment of a bathroom, with its inherent vulnerability to short circuits and power failures;
elaborate, space consuming, massive and inflexible arrangements making it difficult or impractical to install;
arrangements employing tilting and re-orientating seats which fail to position the user in an effective, self-supporting position; and,
single-acting power lifts relying upon the user's weight to return the seat in a downward direction, which are not convenient for normal use of toilet.